Technology Explorations 15, 16, 17, and 18

I have learned a lot this week from exploring websites and watching videos. I particularly like the Scorsese video, if for nothing more than his admitting that the violence that he claims is a real part of life and that he portrays onscreen is not suitable for students.

Among the websites I explored, I found that Prezi is aligned with NET-S Standard 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning. This standard entails teachers exhibiting knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Section 3; subsection (a) of this standard requires that teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

I had never heard of radial tree layout engines until I checked out SpicyNodes. The nodes can contain formatted text, pictures, and video, or links to other nodes and content. Edmodo has also added a photo editor and SchoolTube website.

Before I checked out Glogster, I didn’t even know what a glog was. This was totally new to me. Since, I have found out that Glogster is a social network based on the creation and sharing of Glogs. These interactive graphic blogs contain text, graphics, and video and audio. GlogsterEDU is a platform for teachers and students. They can use glogs as instructional aids or in virtual classrooms.

The purposes of TeacherTube align with NET-T Standard V, Sections A,B, C, and D. Standard V deals with Productivity and Professional Practice, wherein teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional resources. Teachers use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning; continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning; apply technology to increase productivity; and use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the community in order to nurture student learning.

 

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 15

Prezi - http://prezi.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that allows three-dimensional presentations. It is another tool for making presentations. It is interactive in that it has a zoom feature that allows you look at the big picture and then zoom in on details or a portion of the canvas.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use the PowerPoint import feature e to import their information from PowerPoint onto the Prezi zoom canvas. Not only can students be creative with their presentations, they will be memorable. Presentations can be stored in the cloud so that if students are working in another class, they can access it from anywhere. They can also use Prezi for iPad.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I don’t think I would recommend this to other educators as it is cost prohibitive. I don’t know that for what the price is that students would get that much more out of it than other presentation programs. I tried working with Prezi, and the zooming canvas, of which they are most proud, was difficult for me to figure out. Traditional arrows didn’t do what I expected them to do and it seemed to me to be more trouble than it was worth.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

 

Technology Exploration 15

SpicyNodes - http://www.spicynodes.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. SpicyNodes is a system nodes for displaying data. A central node displays details while the surrounding nodes display related information. These surrounding nodes are linked to other nodes. The nodes appear and disappear as users navigate the web, and the page layout changes to fit the current page. The central node changes from node to node. I had never heard of radial tree layout engines until I checked out SpicyNodes. The nodes can contain formatted text, pictures, and video, or links to other nodes and content.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can visually browse the web and can display those thoughts and links between the information they find. This is also a great concept mapping tool and users can publish an information map for other users to browse. The style of SpicyNodes is non-linear, so students could travel from node to node or descend through one line for specific information.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? Even though SpicyNodes is free, I don’t think that I would recommend it to other educators at this time. I have found that only a limited number of nodes can fit on the screen at a time, so all of the nodes in a path cannot be displayed simultaneously. If there are too many nodes, they do not fit.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 16

Edmodo - http://www.edmodo.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Edmodo is a social learning platform for teachers and students. It is very popular among schools. It is designed for students to learn in a familiar environment.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use Edmodo for their reading assignments and papers. They can embed video clips, create learning groups, post quizzes for each other to take. They can also turn in their assignments and upload them for their teachers to grade. Teachers, in turn, can give feedback directly on the assignment. This site is also parent-friendly in that it allows parents to view their children’s work and grades. Teachers can also communicate with parents via Edmodo.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Edmodo to other educators. Teachers can communicate with parents, track student progress, and can upload quizzes and assingments. Edmodo has also added a photo editor and SchoolTube website.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 16

a math dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This is a great site for students as it explains more than 600 common mathematical terms in simple language. The animated site is also interactive and has definitions, examples, and activities. I am particularly impressed with this site. Because the site has opportunities for interactive practice, there is room for IEP adjustments and fewer behavorial problems because students will be involved in enjoyable tasks.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can view the math charts which contain examples and definitions on Numbers, Operations on Numbers, Fractions, Decimals, Percent and Percentages, Ratios and Rates, to name a few. Advanced students can use amathsdictionary for beginning Algebra, Data and Statistics, Probability, Geometry, Time and Money, and Measurement.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would highly recommend this site because, even though it requires Flash Player 6, it has more than 200 printable math charts that are suitable for interactive whiteboards and classroom displays. The printouts also cover math walls, student handouts, homework help, as well as the introduction and consolidation of math topics.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons      Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 17

Glogster - http://www.glogster.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Before I checked out Glogster, I didn’t even know what a glog was. Since, I have found out that Glogster is a social network based on the creation and sharing of Glogs. These interactive graphic blogs contain text, graphics, and video and audio. GlogsterEDU is a platform for teachers and students. They can use glogs as instructional aids or in virtual classrooms.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Glogster EDU is an education platform for students that was developed from Glogster, a site used mainly by teenagers. Glogster EDU has similar features to Edmodo, such as giving teachers the ability to create projects, presentations, post assignments, grade student work, and communicate with parents and students online. EDU also allows users to combine videos, music, sounds, pictures, text, and data attachments into a digital poster, or a glog. The supervising teachers can also access the glogs and determine which ones can be published. Students have the ability to become independent problem solvers.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Glogster to other educators at this time. There is a free version of Glogster EDU that is available. Also, Glogster embeds glogs into the services of Edmodo, Wikispaces, SchoolTube, and TeacherTube. Glogster is also part of the Creating category of Bloom’s Technology Taxonomy.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons           Date: 07-23-13

                       Technology Exploration 17

                       Jing—http://www.techsmith.com/jing  

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. Jing, a screen capture and recording software, is a product of TechSmith, a software company based in Okemos, Michigan. The software takes a screenshot and uploads it to the web. Besides Jing, some of TechSmith’s other products include Snagit, Camtasia Studio, and Morae.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use Jing to capture web pages and save them to their computers or clipboards. If the screenshots are uploaded to the web, a URL is automatically created so that the image can be shared with other students. Screenshots would be a good medium for student note-taking.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend Jing to other educators. The software is relatively simple to use and it is free. Educators can also create images and videos of what they see on their computer screens and share them with their colleagues.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: tparsons          Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

You Tube for Education-http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. YouTube EDU allows for educational videos to be viewed by students and teachers in schools. The educational content is also isolated from other video content. YouTube EDU categories include Primary and Secondary Educational, University, and Lifelong Learning.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can use the “edutainment” of YouTube to view educational content. Even though YouTube, itself, is censored in most school districts, students can access YouTube EDU because it contains strictly educational content in all subject areas. The site is aligned with the NET-T Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. “Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.”
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend YouTube EDU to other educators because all subject areas are well documented and students and teachers can share globally. However, as bandwidth limitations and the potential for misuse by student have been cited as reasons for YouTube’s censorship in schools, the YouTube URL will automatically redirect to YouTube EDU.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form.

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

SchoolTube—http://www.schooltube.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This site is an online video community for K-12. Based in St. Louis, Mo., SchoolTube was founded by Carl Arizpe and his son, Andrew in 2007. Despite being relatively new to the field, this site has amassed tens of thousands of users. The site is considered safe and can be adjusted to public or selective video viewing.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. Students can utilize SchoolTube in the classroom, as the content is student-generated and teacher-moderated. This means that all content that is student-generated is appropriate for students in grades K-12. Schools also have the option to limit the video viewing to its own school. This moderation process can lead to high-quality student work.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? SchoolTube is an awesome site, however, I’m not sure whether I would recommend it to other educators. As far as the content goes, I am all in favor of learning through the visual medium of video. However, accounts must be registered and the information from adults that must be given, valid Social Security Number or valid credit card number, is not what I’d feel comfortable putting out on the web. This information is to be used to verify a person’s identity. I’m sure it’s a secure site, but I still don’t feel comfortable with providing too much private information.

 

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form.

Student Name: tparsons         Date: 07-23-13

Technology Exploration 18

TeacherTube—http://www.teachertube.com                              

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response. This is a relatively new site for educators. TeacherTube gives the teacher’s perspective of sharing, producing, and community building. These purposes of TeacherTube align with NET-T Standard V, Sections A,B, C, and D. Standard V deals with Productivity and Professional Practice, wherein teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional resources. Teachers use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning; continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning; apply technology to increase productivity; and use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the community in order to nurture student learning.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings. There is a myriad of classroom uses for TeacherTube. Teachers can upload, tag, and share short or long instructional videos with students; upload support files to attach educational activities, assessments, lesson plans, or notes. The site gives the ability to browse hundreds of videos created by others. Teachers can also create or join video groups with others of similar interests. They can also embed videos or application programming interfaces on other websites, and decide what material is public or private.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not? I would recommend TeacherTube to other educators at this time. I spoke with some teachers who have used TeacherTube and they say that the site is very user-friendly. They also like the search field that allows them to search for a specific topic and a plethora of videos will emerge. However, they did say that sometimes during video presentations, the videos lag or have to be restarted. Registration is required, but not the depth of information that is required by SchoolTube.